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Automation Blueprints

Automation Blueprints

Better Thermostat ships a collection of ready-made automation blueprints that take advantage of the purpose-specific device triggers introduced in HA 2025.12.
Each blueprint can be imported into Home Assistant with one click and customised through the standard UI – no YAML editing required.


Available blueprints

1 · Notify when heating starts

File: blueprints/heating_active_notify.yaml

Sends a push notification every time a Better Thermostat device switches its hvac_action to heating. Helpful for tracking unexpected heating cycles or monitoring energy consumption patterns.

InputDescriptionDefault
Better Thermostat deviceDevice to monitor
Notification targetnotify.* service to callnotify.notify
MessageNotification body (supports templates)”🔥 … started heating.”

Import blueprint


2 · High humidity alert

File: blueprints/humidity_high_alert.yaml

Fires when the humidity reported by a Better Thermostat device stays above a threshold (default 60 %) for more than 2 minutes. Can optionally turn on a ventilation switch and/or send a notification.

InputDescriptionDefault
Better Thermostat deviceDevice to monitor
Humidity threshold% above which the trigger fires60
Notification targetOptional notify.* service(empty)
Ventilation switchOptional switch.* to turn on(empty)

Import blueprint


3 · Pause heating when window opens

File: blueprints/window_heating_control.yaml

Automatically drops the thermostat to a frost-protection temperature (or turns it off completely) when Better Thermostat detects an open window, and resumes normal operation as soon as the window closes again.

InputDescriptionDefault
Better Thermostat deviceDevice to control
Better Thermostat climate entityClimate entity of the device above
Delay before turning offSeconds to wait after window opens30
Frost-protection temperature°C to set while window is open; 0 = turn off12
Notification targetOptional notify.* service(empty)

Tip: This blueprint works in addition to Better Thermostat’s built-in window delay setting (window_off_delay). Use one or the other, not both, to avoid conflicts.

Import blueprint


4 · Low TRV battery notification

File: blueprints/battery_low_notify.yaml

Sends a push notification when the minimum battery level of all TRVs associated with a Better Thermostat device drops below the configured threshold (default 20 %). The alert is throttled to once every 24 hours to avoid spam.

InputDescriptionDefault
Better Thermostat deviceDevice to monitor
Battery threshold% below which the trigger fires20
Notification targetnotify.* service to callnotify.notify

Import blueprint


5 · Device error and target temperature alerts

File: blueprints/device_error_notify.yaml

A combined blueprint with two optional alerts:

  • Device error – fires when Better Thermostat records at least one device error (e.g. a TRV goes unavailable or reports a fault code).
  • Target temperature reached – fires after the room temperature has stayed at or above the setpoint for a configurable number of minutes.
InputDescriptionDefault
Better Thermostat deviceDevice to monitor
Notification targetnotify.* service to callnotify.notify
Alert on device errorsEnable/disable the error alerttrue
Alert when target reachedEnable/disable the temp-reached alertfalse
Delay before “target reached” alertMinutes at setpoint before firing5

Import blueprint


6 · Night mode (Sleep preset)

File: blueprints/night_mode.yaml

Activates the Sleep preset on one or more Better Thermostat devices while a Schedule helper is active, and restores the normal (none) preset when the schedule ends.

The Sleep preset temperature is configured directly in the Better Thermostat settings — no temperature input is needed here.

Prerequisite: The Sleep preset must be enabled in Better Thermostat’s configuration for each targeted thermostat.

InputDescription
Schedule helperA schedule.* entity that defines the night window
ThermostatsOne or more Better Thermostat devices / climate entities

Import blueprint


7 · Away preset when nobody is home

File: blueprints/presence_away_preset.yaml

Activates the Away preset on Better Thermostat devices when all tracked persons or device trackers are away from home, and restores a configurable preset (default: none) when someone arrives back.

A configurable departure delay prevents short absences (e.g. walking the dog) from unnecessarily switching the heating. After the delay expires, presence is re-checked before applying the Away preset.

InputDescriptionDefault
ThermostatsBetter Thermostat devices / climate entities to control
Presence entitiesperson.*, device_tracker.*, or binary_sensor.* entities
Delay before Away (min)Wait this long after last person leaves10
Preset when homePreset to restore on arrivalnone
Notification targetOptional notify.* service(empty)

Tip: For multi-person households, create a group or use a binary_sensor that combines all person entities — the blueprint treats the list as an OR (anyone home = stay normal).

Import blueprint


8 · Weekly Heating Schedule

File: blueprints/weekly_heating_schedule.yaml

The most powerful blueprint in the collection. Manages up to 4 independent time slots per day with fully separate preset assignments for weekdays (Mon–Fri), Saturday and Sunday.

Time slots

Each slot has a configurable start time and an independent preset per day type. Slot 1 is the earliest in the day; slots must be ordered chronologically.

SlotSuggested nameDefault timeDefault weekdayDefault Sat/Sun
Slot 1Wake up06:30comfortsleep (lie-in)
Slot 2Daytime08:30eco (nobody home)comfort
Slot 3Evening17:00comfortcomfort
Slot 4Night22:30sleepsleep

All 8 BT presets are available per slot per day type: none, eco, away, boost, comfort, home, sleep, activity.

Additional features

FeatureHow it works
Presence-based away modeEnable + select a person.* / device_tracker.* / binary_sensor.*. While nobody is home the Vacation preset is applied instead of the schedule. Returns to the correct slot automatically on arrival.
Schedule pause switchPoint to an input_boolean helper. Turning it on freezes the schedule; turning it off immediately re-applies the correct slot.
HA restart recoveryAfter a restart, waits 30 s for entities to load, then applies the currently correct slot (or vacation preset).
NotificationsOptional notify.* service receives a message on every slot change, presence event, and startup recovery.

Tip: Combine this blueprint with the Away preset when nobody is home blueprint by pointing both to the same presence entity — or simply use the built-in presence mode in this blueprint and skip the separate one.

Input groupInputs
TargetThermostats (device / entity target)
Slot 1Start times & presets (Weekday / Saturday / Sunday)
Slot 2Start times & presets (Weekday / Saturday / Sunday)
Slot 3Start times & presets (Weekday / Saturday / Sunday)
Slot 4Start times & presets (Weekday / Saturday / Sunday)
PresenceEnable toggle · presence entity · vacation preset
PauseEnable toggle · input_boolean helper
Notificationsnotify.* target

Import blueprint


How device triggers work

These blueprints use Better Thermostat’s purpose-specific device triggers (HA 2025.12+). Each trigger maps directly to an attribute or action of the Better Thermostat climate entity:

Trigger typeFires when
heating_activehvac_action becomes heating
heating_stoppedhvac_action leaves heating
window_openedwindow_open attribute becomes true
window_closedwindow_open attribute becomes false
humidity_highhumidity attribute exceeds configured threshold
battery_lowMinimum TRV battery drops below configured threshold
device_errorerrors attribute contains at least one error
target_temp_reachedCurrent temperature ≥ target temperature

You can also use these triggers directly in your own automations via the Automation editor → Add trigger → Device. Select your Better Thermostat device and choose the desired trigger type from the list.


Writing your own blueprint

All blueprints follow the same trigger pattern:

trigger:
- platform: device
domain: better_thermostat
device_id: !input thermostat_device
type: heating_active # replace with any trigger type from the table above

Threshold-based triggers (humidity_high, battery_low) additionally accept above: / below: fields and an optional for: duration, for example:

trigger:
- platform: device
domain: better_thermostat
device_id: !input thermostat_device
type: humidity_high
above: 65
for:
minutes: 5

See the Home Assistant blueprint documentation for full authoring guidance.